Pantry scheme grows with our support

With a record number of people turning to local pantries run by Baobab Bach CIC for help with low-cost food, we helped them to reach more people in food poverty.

The organisation runs a network of 14 weekly pantries across Bridgend County and the Vale of Glamorgan, which are run by volunteers.  They support more than 240 people every week by distributing approximately 1.8 tonnes of food, plus foods donated by local supermarkets, to members, who can buy a big bag of food for £5 which can help to make several meals throughout the week.

To enable them to reach more people and provide a wider range of fresh and refrigerated foods, Baobab Bach wanted to buy display fridges. We were able to step in to fund two fridges for an established pantry at Maesteg and a new one in Barry.

We provided the sponsorship as part of our Making A Difference fund, where we work with our suppliers and contractors to give back to the local communities through supporting sports and community groups and local projects.

“We are grateful to Wales & West Housing for the support. Our suppliers are offering more and more fresh food, which we wanted to be able to pass on to our members.”
Alison Westwood, Director Baobab Bach  

“We also encourage our members to cook from scratch with recipes and demonstrations on low-cost cooking methods such as using slow cookers. The ability to offer fresh refrigerated foods is key to improving our clients’ cooking skills and providing a varied, balanced diet.

“With the new fridges we are able to offer a wider range of food to our members and reach more people.”

“Our grateful thanks for the fridge – it is making a profound difference to the work we’re able to do in Barry.”
Barry Pantry Volunteer Jo Ferris